When your #Apple iPhone 7(#iPhone7) suddenly shuts down and will not turn on, or starts to turn on but gets stuck during startup, the first thing that comes to your mind is that the device is probably damaged or certain parts of it needs to be fixed in order to get it back up and running again. That’s also what most people have thought of when their phone is in the same state. But before you put all the blame on to the hardware or any possible damaged component, you should try to consider that an iPhone can likewise become dead and be stuck in the black screen due to some software issues.

In fact, several reports of black screen problems affecting the new iPhone device have been linked to software glitches like a faulty application that is triggering the same symptoms to occur on the device.

Tackled in this post are some widely known factors that can prevent your new iPhone to power on or get stuck on black screen. A rundown of potential solutions and suggested workarounds are likewise provided to assist you further in troubleshooting the problem and have it fixed without a need for service.

Feel free to refer to this content should you too encounter the same device issue, in which your iPhone is stuck in black screen or for some reasons won’t turn on.

But before anything else, if you have other concerns with your iPhone 7 Plus, make sure you drop by our troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most commonly reported issues with this new iPhone. If you need further assistance or if you can’t find what you’re looking for in that page, fill up our iPhone issues questionnaire and hit submit. Don’t worry, it’s a free consultation service so you don’t have to worry about anything. Just give us more information about the problem and we’ll do our best to help you fix it.

What could have possibly prevented your iPhone 7 to power on or get stuck in black screen?

Considering that no damage is present on any of the iPhone’s hardware components, the problem might probably be due to software bugs or apps malfunction, a bad battery, insufficient charge, or perhaps battery depletion. In short, such problems can be triggered by a software issue, battery issue, or hardware issue.

Apps Malfunction (Software). There are instances when your iPhone refuses to power on and remains in black screen state due to a corrupt app or faulty program. Corrupted or out-dated software may likewise affect the overall functionality of your device but given the fact that it is new, this is less likely the culprit. Nevertheless, keeping the software updated is still highly recommended.

Insufficient Power (Battery). Your iPhone 7 can also be in this same state due to power issues like when the device has insufficient charge or the battery is not enough to power it up. The same thing can happen if your iPhone has completely run out of power. In this case, it could take a bit longer for your device to indicate that it’s charging when you connect it to a charger. In the case where the iPhone neither turns on nor charge, a bad battery might be to blame.

Physical/Liquid Damage (Hardware). If the symptom starts after you accidentally dropped your iPhone or exposed it to any sort of liquid, then it likely indicates a hardware damage. In this case, your iPhone 7 needs repair.

Unless the symptoms start to show after you dropped the iPhone or have it wet, there are still some things you can try on before taking your device to an Apple Genius bar for hardware check or unit replacement, if possible.

Suggested Workarounds

The following methods are only applicable and would only work if the problem lies within the software or iPhone system or there is no physical or liquid damage on the iPhone.

After completing each step, try to turn on your iPhone to see if the issue has been fixed. Otherwise, continue to the next applicable workaround(s).

Step 1. Make sure your iPhone has sufficient charge to power up

To ensure that the problem is not due to insufficient charge, connect your iPhone to the original charger and allow it to charge for at least 30 minutes. Once your device has enough charge, try to turn your iPhone back on. If your iPhone’s battery is completely drained, let it charge for at least an hour and then try to turn it on again afterwards.

Also verify that your device and charging port are not damaged. When charging, check your iPhone carefully and make sure it is not overheating, or swollen. Also check the iPhone’s charging port and ensure no debris in it. Also make sure that the jack, USB cable, and power adapter are all in good condition.

The use of original (OEM) or compatible charger is likewise highly recommended when charging your device. This is because your iPhone can possibly be at risk to damage if the charger is not the same amps, voltage and plug type as the original charger. If necessary, you can try a different USB cable or power adapter to charge your iPhone.

Step 2. Reboot your iPhone 7 or perform a force restart

After connecting your iPhone to an outlet and allowing it to charge for a few minutes, try to power it back on. To do so, press and hold the Sleep/Wake (Power) button until the Apple logo appears on the screen.

Alternatively, you can try to force your iPhone 7 to restart. To force restart, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and Volume Down button simultaneously for at least 10 seconds. When you see the Apple logo, release both buttons.

Forcing your iPhone to restart will not erase its contents. Thus it is a highly recommended workaround especially when dealing with black screen issues or not responding buttons on an iPhone.

Step 3. Use iTunes to enter recovery mode and attempt to re-install iOS

If your iPhone 7 Plus turns on but gets stuck during start up, you would see symptoms like black screen, red screen, blue screen, or Apple logo for a long time during start up. If you are encountering any of these symptoms, connect your iPhone to a computer and use iTunes to enter Recovery Mode to reinstall iOS without erasing your data. Follow these steps when you’re ready.

Connect your iPhone to a computer. On your computer open iTunes. Make sure you are using the latest version of iTunes program to prevent possible occurrence of software incompatibility issues.

Once your iPhone is successfully connected, force it to restart. Just press and hold the Power and VolumeDownkeys at the same time.

Do not release both keys when you see the Apple logo.

When the Recoverymode screen appears, release both keys.

If prompted with the option to Restore or Update, select Update to proceed.

Allow iTunes to attempt to reinstall iOS without erasing data on your iPhone. By then, iTunes will initiate downloading of the software for your iPhone 7.

Your iPhone will exit recovery mode if the download takes more than 15 minutes. By then, you will need to repeat steps 2-5.

Step 4. Put your iPhone in DFU Mode

Aside from recovery mode, your iPhone also has DFU mode or Device Firmware Update. It is another system state of your iPhone that is used to get your device to interface or communicate with iTunes without loading the operating system or iOS boot loader. The main reason why users would need to access DFU mode on their iPhone is to modify or change the device firmware, whether for iOS firmware downgrade or use of custom firmware on your iPhone.

Follow these steps to put your iPhone 7 in DFU mode as your final attempt to fix black screen or power issue on it:

Plug in your iPhone 7 to a computer.

On your computer, make sure iTunes is running.

Turn off your iPhone 7 if necessary.

Press and hold down the Power button located on the right side of your iPhone 7 for 3 seconds.Press and hold the Volume Down button located on the left side of your iPhone 7 while keep holding down the Power button.

Keep holding both buttons for 10 seconds. If you see the Apple logo, it means that you have held the buttons too long and that you need to start all over. Otherwise, proceed to the next step.

Release the Power button but keep holding down the Volume Down button for 5 seconds. If you see the Plug into iTunes screen, it means that you have held the button too long and that you will need to start all over.

If your iPhone 7 screen remains black, that denotes that your device is already in DFU mode. At this point, iTunes will prompt an alert message saying that it has detected your iPhone 7 and will let restore.

Step 5. Contact Apple Support

If none of these methods is able to fix the problem, and that your iPhone 7 remains in black screen or won’t turn on after performing every possible solution, this time I suggest contacting Apple Support to set up service, or other options.

Engage with us

If you have other issues with your Apple iPhone 7, we are always willing to help. Contact us through our iPhone issues questionnaire and provide us with all necessary information about your problem so we can find a solution to your issue.

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